Lying to the Sister
by Altra
Summary: Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Pansy have come to an unnatural alliance, forged in the wake of Harry's desicions. And Ginny's an unwilling intermediate to keep both Slytherins and Gryffindors attached the world.


  
  


Friends  
by Altra

  
  
  


A/N: This is told third person, but in Ginny's point of view. Basically, what Ginny doesn't know, you don't know. There _is_ a reason why all the plot holes are there and Ginny doesn't directly worry about them. Brownie points for whoever figures it out first!

  
  
  


_Father's hands are lined with dirt from long days in the field   
Mother's hands are serving meals in a café on Main Street  
With mouths to feed… just tryin' to keep clothing on our backs  
And all I hear about… is how it's so bad_  
  
Ginny nervously kneaded her hands together.   
  
"You don't understand, Ron… we have to-"  
  
"Damnit! _You_ don't think do you?" Ron spat, whirling on his sister. Ginny recoiled in the arm chair she was sitting on.  
  
"Ron please! We have to!" she said, sobs racking her ribcage.  
  
"No we don't," Ron whispered, plunging his hands into his pockets. "If Dad really cares… he wouldn't have left us in this situation."  
  
"He had to! Dumbledore needed his services as an operator for him-" Ginny began, standing up.  
  
"No he didn't! He didn't have to go! We need him too much… Mum, she's out there trying to find a way to provide for all of us," Ron screamed, roughly pulling his hands out of his pockets and gesturing at the wall.  
  
"Ron listen to me!" Ginny said, taking Ron's shoulder and forcing him around. "I know it's hard… but Fred and George are helping out. They've got their jobs. Isn't it only fair that we do our share as well?" she asked, tears spilling over her cheeks.  
  
"No… no! If that bastard loved Mum at all-"  
  
"Stop it, Ron! Stop talking about Da like that!" Ginny shrieked, covering her ears with her hands. "I don't want to hear anymore of your- your lies!" Ron blinked away his anger, feeling the forceps release his lungs.  
  
"I'm sorry, Gin… I didn't mean to upset you," he whispered, pulling his sister into a hug. Ginny fell against his chest, her throat swelling and her eyes burning.  
  
"He loves us. He loves us," she murmured in between sobs. "He'll come back, Ron. And then Mum can go back home and we can quit working," she said, looking up at her brother.  
  
"I don't know, Gin. Working as… as _muggles?_ Isn't that a bit extreme?" he said quizzically.  
  
"I can't work in the magical realm until I finish Hogwarts," she said, pulling out of her brother's embrace and wiping her face. "And you can't do magic to the scale of a Ministry job like Percy. No one is supposed to know we're having trouble."  
  
"But at a restaurant? This is so- so typical! Things get tough at work and Dumbledore opens this-this… damned golden doorway and Da just runs to it! Why can't he just stay home? Take care of Mum like he's supposed too?" Ron said, his freckles vivid against his tinting skin. Ginny shook her head, walking towards the portrait hole. "Where are you going?" Ron asked.  
  
"You just don't get it, Ron. You don't," she said ruefully over her shoulder. "You don't understand that we need the money." Ginny pushed the portrait open, and made her way to the train.  
  
_It's too bad, it's stupid  
Too late, so wrong, so long  
It's too bad we had no time to rewind  
Let's walk, let's talk  
  
_"Are you sure you're okay with this?"   
  
"Yes. It has to be done."  
  
"But if you really don't want to…"  
  
"I do, Mum. I do," Ginny said into the black muggle contraption in her hand. She was standing in a mini house like structure with a silver box. The bent black bar was connected to the silver box by a metal rope.   
  
"Well Ginny, I'll be expecting you home at seven sharp. No later," her mother reprimanded over the phone. Ginny smiled to herself.  
  
"I know, Mum. It's so warm I might just walk home tonight."  
  
"I just want you to be safe, sweetling." Molly Weasley's weary voice conveyed her fatigue all to well to her daughter.  
  
"Go take a nap, Mum. I'll bring home a chicken from the market for dinner," Ginny said, absently feeling her pocket for her wallet.  
  
"Would you dear?"  
"Of course I would! Now go to sleep!"  
  
"I think I'm the mother in this family," her mother said, and Ginny could hear her smile.  
  
"Bye Mum."  
  
"Bye pumpkin." Ginny awkwardly placed the black bar back into the cradle it had been sitting in. Turning proved difficult, as the space was constrictive to begin with. Forcing the tiny door open, Ginny slipped out into the warm summer air. She breathed in the sweet scent of the grass plain across the street with relish.  
  
Righting her muggle sweat shirt, Ginny started her walk to the card shop. She had applied for the job and had happily accepted it when offered.  
  
_You left without saying goodbye, although I'm sure you tried  
You call the house from time to time to make sure we're alive  
But you weren't there right when I needed you the most  
And now I dream about it… and how it's so bad  
  
_

"Hey Weasley. Didn't expect to come across one of you lot here." Ginny glanced up, smiling at the silver haired boy before her.  
  
"Why Malfoy! How dare you stop by my card shop!" she said with a laugh. He grinned, hopping up on the counter. "It's been a while since _you_ last darkened this doorstep," she said, poking him in the side with her pen.   
  
"Yes well, my father only meant for my muggle extravaganza to last one day," he said, pulling her order forms into his lap.  
  
"Hey! In case you didn't notice, I'm working!" she protested, vainly trying to take them back. Draco laughed, dangling them over his head.   
  
"Time for a break!" he said with a smirk.  
  
"I can't. I already took one a half an hour ago," she said logically. Draco sighed, handing her the forms she so dearly wanted.  
  
"Damn. How's your family doing?" he asked, trying to look nonchalant. Ginny sighed, leaning over her paperwork.  
  
"No word from Da, if that's what you mean. No _real_ word. He owls every now and then," she said with a sigh.  
  
"Don't worry, love. Everything will turn out for the better," he said, plucking a stuffed animal up from the counter besides him. Ginny smiled at his attempts at support.  
  
"I know it will, I just wish Ron wasn't being such a git about it!" she said, pushing the papers aside. "Great. Now I can't concentrate on work! You've got me all worked up about Ron."  
  
"Me?" Draco said incredulously. "I did nothing! So Ron's still being a sod, hmm?" Ginny chuckled, pulling herself up onto the counter and twirling so she sat facing the same direction as Draco.  
  
"Yeah. He won't get over himself and get a job! He's blaming our financial situation on Da, which really isn't fair."  
  
"I thought your dad was getting paid for his undercover stuff," Draco said, tossing the stuffed dog into the air.  
  
"Technically, yes. But he's _also_ supposed to be dead, so he can't get paid until this whole thing is over," Ginny said, grabbing the dog before Draco could. "And don't play with the merchandise. I don't want to have to buy the thing if you break it."  
  
"I'd buy it myself if it got broken, _thank_ you very much," Draco said, miffed. Ginny laughed, dropping the dog in her lap.  
  
"Of course you would. What _was_ I thinking? A Malfoy? Run out on a bill?" Draco scowled. Ginny nudged him with her elbow. "I'm kidding, Malfoy. Anyway, I'm glad you stopped by. I was actually starting to miss your irritating personality," she said. He smiled cheekily, hopping off the counter.  
  
"I knew you would. Besides, I need to buy a birthday card for my Mum. She's been putting so many guilt trips about getting her something on me that I rarely have a good sleep." Ginny smiled, sliding off the counter as well.  
  
"Let's see. We have a wonderful selection of candles…"  
  


_It's too bad, it's stupid  
Too late, so wrong, so long  
It's too bad we had no time to rewind  
Let's walk, let's talk  
  
_"Anyone here?" Ginny called, arms full of brown paper grocery bags. Ron stormed down the stairs.  
  
"Lemme take one of those," he said, quickly taking two of the four bags.  
  
"Thanks Ron," Ginny said with a smile.   
  
"No problem. Where do you want them?"  
  
"Just on the kitchen table," Ginny said, indicating the kitchen with a bag. Ron nodded, walking into the kitchen. Both of the siblings dropped their bags on the table.  
  
"Need help unloading?" Ron asked, not looking at his sister.  
  
"That'd be great! Thanks Ron," she added, pulling cans out from the first bag. "Can you put these cans in the cabinet over there?" Ginny said, pointing at the far side cabinet with her finger.  
  
"Yeah, sure," he said, taking the three cans. Ron carefully pulled the door open, placing the cans on their respective shelves. Ginny continued to unload bags, unaware of her brother's apprehension.   
  
"Why are you speaking with Malfoy?" Ginny, caught unawares, dropped the carton of eggs she was holding to the ground.   
  
"Shit!" she exclaimed, grabbing the kitchen paper from the counter and falling to her knees. "Look what you made me do, Ron! Mum'll be so mad when she finds out!"  
  
"Forget the eggs, Ginny. Why are you talking with Draco Malfoy?" Ron demanded, crossing the room and hauling Ginny up by her upper arm.  
  
"I don't know what you're talk-"  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, Ginny. I know you're talking with him. Tell me why," Ron said, forcing Ginny into a chair.  
  
"Fine. I am talking with Draco," she said, glaring at her brother. "Are you happy?" she spat.  
  
"Why?" Ron asked, sitting across from Ginny and glaring at her through the sea of brown bags and produce.  
  
"Because- because he's nice. He listens to me whine about work, and school, and even Da. And he-"  
  
"You told him about Da?!" Ron yelled, standing up so quickly his chair flipped over. Ginny dove across the table, clapping a hand over Ron's mouth.  
  
"We don't want to wake up the twins," Ginny said softly. Ron's blue eyes still burned with rage, but Ginny lowered her hand anyway.  
  
"You told him about Da?" Ron repeated in a whisper.  
  
"Yes. I did," she said, boldly staring him down. Ron glanced to the ground.  
  
"Why, Gin? Why'd you tell him?"  
  
"He asked. And at the time, I just need someone to talk to. You wouldn't listen to me, after I told you about Da before we left Hogwarts. And he was someone I knew and got to know better. I _trust_ him, Ron. He's not that bad," she said. Ron growled, kicking his chair towards the sink.   
  
"I'll bet he is," he seethed, storming out of the room. Ginny quietly picked up the fallen chair, righting it. She collapsed into it, holding her mouth as her sobs threatened to come.  
  


_It's so bad, it's too bad, it's stupid  
It's too late, so wrong, so long  
It's too bad we had no time to rewind  
Let's talk, let's walk   
  
_"Why'd you tell him?" Ginny sighed, glancing at Draco under her lashes.   
  
"He asked," she said with a shrug. Draco growled, running his fingers through his hair.  
  
"You realize he's trying to get a restraining order, right?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair. The café had never seemed so desolate, with them as the only two occupants; the employees had even gone home.   
  
"I know," she whispered, pillowing her head on her arms. "God, I wish we didn't have to sneak around to see each other." Draco smirked, waving his arm around the small coffee shop.  
  
"Aw, what's wrong, Gin? An empty little restaurant not what you wanted?"  
  
"Considering that you did illegal magic to get us _in_ here, yes. But this place… it's very quaint," Ginny said, pulling her head off her arms. "Mum always said that muggles had the sweetest shops." Draco laughed, reaching across the tiny table to pat Ginny on the back.  
  
"They do, love. They do." Ginny grinned at him.  
  
"So, how has dear old Pansy been?" she asked slyly. Draco coughed, blushing a brilliant red.  
  
"She-uh, you know, I mean-" he began.  
  
"You two talking?" Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Or maybe… more?"  
  
Draco choked on his words.  
  
"I'm _kidding_ Draco! Honestly, you're so easy to excite," Ginny said, leaning back in her chair with a chuckle.  
  
"Har har. I'll have you know that Miss Parkinson and myself are just _friends_," Draco said, crossing his arms in a huff.  
  
"Friends with benefits," Ginny muttered. Draco raised an eyebrow, ruffling Ginny's hair.  
  
"I get no benefits from my friends," Draco said. Ginny scowled, swatting his hand away. He laughed, returning his hands to the cup of coffee he had.  
  
"Besides," he said, taking a sip. "Pansy… she's just sort of gone these days." Ginny perked up.  
  
"Gone? Where?" Draco studied his cup.  
  
"I mean, physically, she's there. She'll smile and laugh, but I know something's off with her," he said, searching Ginny's eyes for understanding. She nodded, resting her chin on her hands.  
  
"Ron's like that too. You just can't get through to him. And it _is_ like he's not there. Sometimes I wonder if his break up with Hermione had anything to do with it," Ginny said thoughtfully. Draco shook his head.  
  
"I doubt it. From how you've been describing him lately, it sounds like he's in a bit of denial over your father," Draco said, downing the last of his lukewarm coffee. He grimaced, placing the cup down. "I hate cold coffee."  
  
"I guess you're right; he didn't seem to crushed when she broke it off with him," Ginny said, taking Draco's cup. She stood up, carrying it to the bar. "No need to leave a mess," she said, walking back and taking her seat.   
  
"Pity. It seems like everyone's gone crazy but us," Draco said. Ginny laughed with a nod.  
  
"True. Makes you doubt the sanity of the wizarding realm," she said. Draco cocked his head to the side.  
  
"But not the muggle one?" he asked. She smiled sadly.  
  
"Yes. The muggle realm… for all its trials and faults, it is actually quite peaceful. And very sane. Considering the people who run it, it is quite safe," she said, wrapping her arms about herself.  
  
"Safe?"  
  
"Yes. These people, they don't fear an unseen evil. Some do, but not to the scale that we fear You-Know-Who. They let their children roam free, let them play happily, where our parents kept us inside and watched us closely." Draco laughed, banging his hand on the table. Ginny glanced at him, hurt.  
  
"No offense, Gin, but you're giving them way to much credit and us not enough! You've got a very romanticized view of the muggles," he said. She glanced to the ground.  
  
"Compared to the lives of people like Harry, they have rich, carefree lives," Ginny said, following the floorboards.  
  


_Father's hands are lined with guilt from tearing us apart  
Guess it turned out in the end, just look at where we are  
We made it out… we still got clothing on our backs   
And now I scream about it… … and how it's so bad, it's so bad, it's so bad  
  
_"Ron? Can you hold up a moment?" Ginny called, running after her brother. He stopped, half turning to face her.   
  
"What's wrong, Gin?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ginny came up beside him, huffing in the cool morning air.  
  
"Da sent us an owl," she said, pulling the piece of parchment out of her pocket. Ron's eyes flashed a dangerous blue as he gingerly took the envelope.   
  
"He did, did he?" Ron mused, flipping the paper open. With a sneer, Ron crumpled the paper into a ball, dropping it listlessly to the ground. "What does it matter?"  
  
Ginny fell to her knees, smoothing the paper out vainly. Tiny creases ran along it, dust imbedded in the fine grains.  
  
"Why are you so harsh on Da?" Ginny hissed as she stood.   
  
"He deserves it," Ron said simply. He glanced out to the sky, before hitching his broom over his shoulder. "Can't be late," he said to himself. Ginny caught his hand, holding him back.  
  
"Where are you going?" He shifted his weight, glancing at the sky again.  
  
"I'm meeting Harry," he said. Ginny released his wrist, though suspicion hung in her eyes.   
  
"You're always meeting Harry," she said lightly. Ron glanced back at her.  
  
"Yeah? You're always meeting _Malfoy_," Ron spat, pulling his hand back.  
  
"I am not! I really get to _see_ the bugger anymore!" Ginny said in a clipped voice.  
  
"Well that's a relief," Ron said with a sigh.  
  
"It is not! Is it wrong for me to want _Draco_ for a friend? Hell, if you can have Harry Potter, I see no reason why Draco Malfoy can't be my friend!" Ginny raged, glaring at her brother.  
  
"But there is a big difference! Harry's not trying to repeatedly get us in trouble, or trying to jump into my _sister's_ pants," Ron said, shaking his hand at Ginny. He shook his head, and continued on down his road.  
  
"But he was!" she screamed. Ron stopped, and a complete look of utter disbelief came over his face. "Me and Harry… we are together," Ginny said quietly. Ron growled, stepping back and taking his sister by her shoulders.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, Harry and I are a couple. You have nothing to worry about from Draco," she said, closing her eyes tight. _I'm sorry, Harry. I thought you told him. _  
  
"_What_?" Ginny opened her eyes, gasping when she saw the look of sadness in her brother's eyes.   
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Ron pulled her into his arms, softly crying into her hair.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"…I'm not sure anymore. It was terribly romantic when it started, in April. But now, with Da how he is, it isn't the same. I haven't owled him since we got out for summer," Ginny said into Ron's shoulder.  
  
"I didn't want you involved with him," Ron said shakily.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Because of You-Know-Who, and his fame, and the tabloids. Hermione barely escaped those things, and she's a right strong person," Ron replied, pulling back from his sister. His eyes were red from crying, his nose a bit pink, but he was sadly smiling at her.  
  
"Why hasn't Harry told you, yet? He promised he'd tell you as soon as he saw you," she said to herself. Ron ran a hand through his hair, releasing the breath he'd been holding.  
  
"I haven't seen Harry since we got out of Hogwarts." Ginny's head shot up.  
  
"But then-where have you been going?" she asked. He shook his head, looking back at the sky.  
  
"Wandering."  
  


_It's too bad, it's stupid  
Too late, so wrong, so long  
It's too bad we had no time to rewind  
Let's walk, let's talk  
  
_"He said he's been wandering," Ginny said absently, still filling out her forms. Draco jumped onto the counter, tossing his bean bag into the air.  
  
"He's lost then?"  
  
" 'Not all who wander are lost.'" she quoted. Draco laughed, balancing the bean bag on her head.   
  
"You're just full of inspiration crap today!" he said. "Now don't move. You are a monument of beauty at the moment."  
  
"Har har," Ginny said, snatching the bean bag off her head and throwing it roughly at Draco.  
  
"Hey!" he exclaimed, his balance on the counter teetering. "You know, you're no longer the stunning figure you once were."  
  
"Oh? Is that because you found out about Harry?" she asked, glancing at Draco with a mischievous smile. Draco scowled.  
  
"No! Because you defiled my bean bag," he grumbled. Ginny laughed to herself, filling out the last of the forms and shoving them under the counter.  
  
"Thank god they're done!" she said, sprawling across the counter. Draco raised an eyebrow, before he continued to toss the bean bag up.  
  
"Pansy's pregnant," Draco said. Ginny looked at Draco, pulling herself onto the counter. She tucked her legs under herself, wrapping an arm around Draco.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered awkwardly. He shook his head slowly.  
  
"She won't tell me who the father is," he said.  
  
"So she's keeping it?" Draco shook his head.  
  
"Says it was a mistake. That any progeny from it would cause more trouble than it's worth," he said quietly. Ginny stiffened, trying to keep from screaming in anger.  
  
"That's wrong," she whispered.  
  
"No, it's not." Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. Draco kept tossing his bag up into the air.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"If Pansy won't tell _me_ who the father is, chances are it wasn't of her consent," he said quietly. "And the last thing she needs right now is a kid, considering how her job is going."  
  
"What does Pansy do?" Ginny asked, trying to get away from the child.  
  
"Well, she's studying at the University of Merlin in Rome. They look down upon children born out of wedlock, but her schedule is so intense as is a kid would be impossible."  
  
"But what is she training for?" Ginny asked quietly. Draco shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. She won't speak to anyone about it." Ginny sighed, pulling her hands into her lap.  
  
"Something's up with both of them. Meaning her and Ron. And Harry, too. Come to mention it, I haven't heard anything from Hermione for a long while," Ginny said to herself. Draco glanced to her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Maybe they're planning something? Seems a Dream Team thing to do," he scoffed. Ginny rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well then what's up with Pansy? And how come you're not sobbing over mocha ice cream right now? I thought you fancied yourself in love with her," Ginny said, nudging Draco. He laughed slightly.  
  
"Pansy… she's just Pansy. I swear, one moment it's like she possess infinite knowledge, and the next she's back to simpering. I've heard that she's only that way around me and I wish she wasn't. I guess I was in love with the idea that Pansy could always be that ethereal person she becomes every now and then. Not really in love with her, you know?" he said, searching Ginny's eyes for agreement. She nodded blankly.  
  
"Like Harry?" He shook his head slightly.  
  
"Sort of, but not really. I mean, with Harry you have two personalities: the one that everyone automatically assumes, and the bastard that he really is." Ginny coughed, whacking Draco in the side. "Well it's true!"  
  
"Yeah, except he is _not_ a bastard," she said with a smile.  
  


_It's so bad, it's so bad, it's stupid  
It's too late, so wrong, so long  
It's too bad we had no time to rewind  
Let's walk, let's talk  
  
_"Draco?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are we still friends?" Draco glanced at Ginny out of the corner of his eyes.   
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean the whole my not understanding about Pansy," she said, staring at her shoes. Draco chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"If I was mad about that, you wouldn't have arms at the moment."  
  
"But I was rude about it the last time we talked. And you didn't return my owls."  
  
"So? I was busy. Trying to get a job and all," he said with a smile. Ginny nodded to herself, shrugging off Draco's arm and taking his hand instead.  
  
"I'm glad."   
  
"You seriously thought I was mad at you for that?" Draco said with a grin. Ginny blushed, ducking her head.  
  
"Well…"  
  
"It's okay, Gin. I was just surprised that you cared about our friendship that much," he said, holding their hands up.  
  
"Of course I do! Right now, you're probably my closest friend in the world." Draco raised an eyebrow. "I mean it! No one else knows about my Da, and you haven't been anything but really nice to me. Well, after that initial meeting, but that doesn't count," Ginny said. Draco grimaced.  
  
"I was being a bit of a git," he agreed, pulling Ginny gently down the sidewalk to her card shop. "Can't have you being late for work."  
  
"Yes, that would be horrible, wouldn't it? Considering how you distract me once I get there," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"You listen to your best friend! He knows best," Draco said, laughing at her.   
  
"I shouldn't have told you that," she said to herself. Draco fell instep besides her, lightly rapping her head with his knuckles.  
  
"Well you did and now you'll be stuck with me until I find someone better," he said to himself. Ginny scoffed at the thinly veiled insult.  
  
"Why-you- ferret!"  
  
"Moose."  
  
Ginny glared at Draco.  
  
"I hate you." He laughed.  
  
"I know you do, love. I know you do. Now hurry along," he said, pulling her forward again. "If you get fired I'll have no where to be during the day." Ginny laughed and let herself be towed.  
  
_Long time, let's walk, let s talk_

  
  


________  
  


Thought the song went well.  
  
"My karma ran over my dogma." -Bumper sticker


End file.
